Aelin and the Stygian spiders
by heirofashesandfire
Summary: Read what happens as Aelin travels to kill the Stygian spiders, as payment to the merchant who gave her spidersilk in The Assassin's Blade. Set sometime after Queen of Shadows. All character and direct quotes property of Sarah J. Maas
1. Chapter 1

Aelin awoke with a start. She had been travelling nonstop for three days and had little in the way of nourishment left. Grumbling to herself about how 'Queens shounldn't have to suffer like this' she eased her aching body up off the wolfskin blanket she had slept on. Suddenly starving, she pulled her rucksack towards her, trying to remember if she had finished all of her _emergency_ truffles the night before. A harsh wind was whistling through the Stygian mountains behind her and she crouched back down into her blanket, wishing that Rowan was with her, keeping her warm. She cursed as she remembered how mad he would be when she got back, as he had specifically told her not to go alone. But then, she thought as she packed all of her sleeping thing away, he should have known how stubborn she was. She had slipped out of their bed, leaving some of her clothes next to him so he didn't notice that her scent was gone. She was slightly surprised how well her plan had worked so far to be honest with herself. She had met no skinwalkers in the oakwald forest, had managed not to starve yet,and had got away from a territorial fae bastard who would not have let her leave alone. So she grinned as she lifted her pack onto her back and set off toward the mountains.


	2. Chapter 2

The next few days of travelling were terrible for Aelin. No matter what she tried, the wind found its way into her jacket and trousers, making her shiver with every step. She had, in her hurry to get away, not packed nearly eough warm clothing fearing it would weigh her down. She cursed Rowan, the gods and herself for being so very stupid, as se crouched into the wind that was stinging her fac e. She wasn't very sure how she would find what she was looking for, but the merchant in Xandria seemed to think that they would come to you.


	3. Chapter 3

That night, Aelin dreamed.

 _She was seventeen again, and in an unfamiliar market place, so very different from Rifthold. She spotted the spider silk across the street, and hurried over._

 _'_ _So why are you here, then?'_

 _'_ _My ship to the southern continent doesn't leave for two days. Why not set up a shop? You never know who might approach your stall.' He winked at her. 'How old are you anyway?'_

 _'_ _I'm seventeen,' she said raising her chin slightly. 'How old are you?'_

 _'_ _Twenty five.'_

 _Celeana gave a start. He looked about fifty._

 _'_ _Everything has a price girl. Twenty years off my life for ten yards of this stuff.'_

 _'_ _Where on earth did you get it?' Celeana asked, curiously._

 _'_ _Spiders, in the Rhunn Mountains. The one I ought this stuff off was as big as a horse.' He said._

 _'_ _The only way I get my years back is if someone kills that exact spider. Perhaps an assassin from the North could do the job.' He said, with a glint in his eye._

 _Celeana was doubtful. Anyone who sold years off their life for a fortune was untrustworthy._

 _'_ _We'll see,' she said as she turned ready to find ansel in the throng of people._

 _'_ _Wait!' The merchant called after her. She Turned as he held out a small, plain brown box._

 _'_ _A reminder', he said, 'That everything has a price.'_

As Aelin awoke she remembered the truth of those words. She had learnt them the hard way. But the spidersilk that was in that box had saved Sam's life when an arrow fired at his heart, hit the spidersilk instead. She was not one to forget her debts, and she was going to repay the man for what he had done for her.

 **hey guys! this is actually my first ever fanfiction and im so excited about writing it! please leave a review I honestlt dont care if its good or bad and tell me if you want to see anything particular happen!**


	4. Chapter 4

Gods, it was a labyrinth. Every turn found Aelin facing yet another tree shrouded in cobwebs like a woman in a wedding veil. She had been wondering aimlessly for about a day, and her supplies were quickly dwindling. She reminded herself every time she ate that she needed enough food to get home again, but she was absolutely starving. She huffed and plopped down onto a mossy rock, wishing for some company and missing Rowan's pine and snow scent. She had shifted into her fae form more than eight times to try and get her bearings but the forest was silent and there was a lingering smell of burning wood that her fae nose did NOT like. So, she resorted to travelling as a human, even though it made her walking twice as slow. She was close now she could feel it, and the spiders scuttling all over the ground were a very good sign. She knew everyone said _follow the spiders and you will find their lair_ but it was near impossible, as they would climb up trees or she would lose sight of them before she could get a proper scent to track.

She was most worried about meeting a witch. She had heard many stories of how their iron teeth could rip out your throat or their iron nails gut you in one swipe. They lived around this area, especially in the Ferrin Gap, that scouts and spies did not return from. Aelin shivered, suddenly cold, and then she heard it.

The sound of eight giant legs scuttling up behind her.

 **hey guys! what do you think so far? sorry to leave it on a cliff hanger, but i guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out what happens ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

Aelin was on her feet in an instant shifting as she did so, a blinding pain flashing through her ears and mouth. She felt here fire magic well up inside of her, flickering and ready to be unleashed. In the darkness all she could see was a giant black shape looming up in front of her, getting closer and closer. Quickly, as Rowan had taught her, she flicked a dagger into her hand and unsheathed Damaris from her side. She steadied her breathing as the spider scuttled closer, trying for the infinite stillness she could never master the way an immortal could. She took in all its hideous features from its eight bulging eyes to its eight black skinny legs, scanning for a weakness, any sign to give her an advantage against this monster. It was only then she realised that the spider had brought friends.

One moment she was upright, the next she was hoisted into the air by her ankle, Damaris falling from her hand and clattering to the ground. A muffled cry escaped her lips and she clung tightly to her dagger, refusing to let it go, even as the spider holding her shook her up and down. She could feel her magic burning into it, the pommel starting to melt into her hands, and she took a deep breath to calm herself.

'I would like to purchase some Spidersilk,' she said, but it came out less nonchalantly than she had hoped.

One of the spiders in front on her turned and studied her with all eight of its ugly tiny eyes. It didn't say a word but Aelin guessed that the two or three other spiders around her understood what she had said as well.

And then, without warning, they set off.

 **Heyyy guys! Im really** **surprised** **and appreciative that so many people have viewed my story! its really** **surprising** **i thought id get about 3 people :) lol. i'd love it if any of you leave a review and it would make my day. xxx**


	6. Chapter 6

Aelin was going to be sick. She was sure of it. She was certainly sure that this was the worst situation she had ever been in. Being held upside down by a bloodthirsty giant spider, whilst swinging violently to and fro, with nothing to protect herself with apart from a slightly melted dagger and her fire magic, was something she prayed she would never do again. Gods, Rowan would kill her.

They had been travelling for some time now, but Aelin was not sure for how long, as all her blood had gone to her head and she felt extremely dizzy. She wondered where exactly they were taking her. Now she had had time to look around, there were about five spiders in the group, the smallest being about the size of fleetfoot, and the largest (the one carrying her), the size of one of the horse drawn carriages in Rifthold. She knew that they would not attack her yet, but she still kept her magic close to the surface of her skin, so she could use it quickly if it came to it. She wondered if the spiders could sense her magic, the flickering inside her veins. Perhaps they had never met a fae before. She clung to that thought like a lifeline. It would definitely give her an advantage if they hadn't.


	7. Chapter 7

For what seemed like hours, Aelin swung helplessly upsidedown, awaiting her fate wherever they took her to. She had considered burning the spiders to nothing but ash, but she was curious as to where they were taking her. The trees got thicker in this part of the forest, and very little light shone through the canopy overhead.

She was just wondering whether she should try to sleep when she was dropped to the ground very unceremoniously, hitting her funny bone. She stifled a crie and rubbed her arm hard, while glaring at the spider that had dropped her. The others around her had gathered in a circle, their huge bodies surrounding her and blocking her escape routes. She tried to stand, but she was wobbly on her feet and decided in was best that she remained sitting. So she sat, and brushed the leaves off her leather jacket and waited for something to happen.

Something did happen, but not what she had expected.

She had expected one of the spiders to pounce upon her, to truss her up in silk ready for eating later with their monstrous pincers. But instead, the one that had carried her spoke.

"You wish to purcase spider silk?"

Aelin was almost so shocked that she fainted, but she supposed that in a land of magic and wild beasts, a talking giant spider didn't seem _too_ unlikely. So instead she grinned at them with a feral smile and replied,

"That is what I said, isn't it?"

The spider was not impressed with that answer, and spat a glob of sickly green poison at her, which she doged with feline efficiency. She grinned again, but that just seemed to infuriate it more.

"What is your name, girl?"

Aelin huffed. She had a feeling finding the spider that had given the spidersilk would be harder than she had first expected.

 **Another chapter for you!** **Sorry I haven't been posting much, I've been busy. I'll try to post a chapter everyday, but I cant promise.**


	8. Chapter 8

"My name does not matter to creatures such as yourself."

"I disagree, girl. My kind have not lived so long that we do not conform to manners."

Aelin sighed. This was getting tiresome.

"My name is Ansel. What is _your_ name then spider?"

The beast considered her. Aelin did not like the look in its eye. Eventually it replied,

"My name is not pronounceable on human tounge, girl."

Aelin rubbed her temples. She had heard that stupid phrase more often than she would have liked.

"That is if you are a human," the spider continued, "I do smell something different about you. You smell of ash."

So they knew. They knew that she wasn't fully human. But did they know she was fae?

Aelin grinned at them.

"I'm surprised that something as old as you didn't know what I was."

The spider bristled and spat at her.

"My kind has seen things that your puny mind can only dream of, girl. My kind has witnessed things that would turn your brain to mush, that would make your eyes bleed and your ears go deaf."

Aelin grinned again. Being angry made things stupid, and being stupid got thing killed. She raised her hands in mock defeat.

"I am here for business, not for petty quarreling. I already told you I am here to purchase spider silk-"

"That can be arranged," the spider interrupted.

Aelins eyes gleamed.

"But not from any old spider," she said nocholantly, "The spider I wish to purchase it from make the very finest quality. I know because I have seen it with my own eyes. It was sold to a man, about 25 in age, with brown hair and brown eyes for twenty years off his life. Do you know the spider I am talking about?"

It looked at her, and something that she couldn't quite place shone in its eight ugly eyes.

"Of course," it said in a hoarse wisper. Aelin was shocked. It sounded _scared_.

It signalled something with its front leg to one of the other spiders around her. The other scuttled off reluctantly.

She was just beginning to wonder whether she had made a very big mistake, when there was a rustle behind her.

A rustle that made her spin and gawk at the thing in her vision.

A spider. But _not_ any old spider.

A spider bigger than a house.


	9. Chapter 9

Aelin swore with colourful language.

This was _not_ good.

"You will be coming with me human _thing._ " It said in a deep, hypnotic voice.

Its hideous eyes glanced up at the other spiders around her.

And they _ran_. Aelin was, despite herself, impressed at the speed of them. They would certainly be hard to fight with that swiftness. But perhaps it was the thought of their lives on the line that pushed the wind on their heels.

Suddenly alone, she turned back to the beast and looked it dead in the eyes. She decided that something poison spitting spiders were afraid of, she probably should be too.

And then she realised that the messenger spider had not returned.

Gods, they _were_ fast. Aelin was sprinting after tha gigantic spider, that had beckoned her to follow and set off at a pace she had no chance of matching. She had no idea how they manouvered themselves through a forest as dense as this, but that wasn't the main thing on her mind as her heart raced. She couldn't keep this up for much longer, even in her Fae form. The spider was going in and out of her vision, just too far away and she realised it _wanted_ her to be tired. It could have just as easily walked to wherever it was they were going.

The thought didn't sit well with Aelin, and she stopped to catch her breath, panting and clutching a stitch in her side. The spider was nowhere to be seen, but she was sure it would find her again. There was a small stream trickling past about a hundred metres away, that she couldn't have possibly heard without her fae hearing. She jogged over to it and dipped her hands into the freezing cold water that she realised must have melted off the mountains and trickled down to here. She was fairly certain that it was going to start snowing soon, and she wanted to have plenty of cover by then and a nice hot fire to snuggle down next to. There was a lightness in her backpack though, that reminded her that she didn't have much food left, nor Damaris to give her comfort. She would have to remember to pick it up on her way back.


	10. Chapter 10

I was indeed snowing. Aelin huddled close her roaring blue fire, snow flaking through the makeshift shelter she had built. The wind was making the trees creak ominously and she realised just how alone she felt. She could die, curled up and frozen right here, and no one would ever find her, especially not with the snow falling the way it was. The silver, orb like moon in the velvety sky sent a slightly silver mist upon the woods around her, and her breath clouded in front of her face. She missed the warmth of Rowan's body next to her, the silvery lightness of Lysandra's laugh, the softness in Aedion's eyes when he looked at his cousin.

She huffed loudly and rummage through her bag for some dried venison she had brought. She chewed into the tough meat, the dried texture rough on her tongue. It remaindered her of Terrasen, where at Yulmas tons of the stuff was dotted around the castle in small glass jars for guests and family to feast on.

There was a rustle in the forest behind her, but her fingers were frozen stiff, so she wasn't inclined to go and find out what exactly had made it. So instead she pulled her wolfskin over her head and tried to get comfortable enough to sleep.

When she awoke, the sky was glowing a warm peachy colour, but Aelin couldn't appreciate it much. This was due to the fact that her head was throbbing with excruciating pain. A lump had appeared on the back of her head and she rubbed it with the palm of her hand, and squinted into the sunlight. She closed her eyes, trying to remember the events of the night before. She had awoken in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, her fae senses spiking with a ringing in her ears. That was when she had blacked out, with no explained reason.

Aelin groaned, sat up and took in her surroundings. There was a dark cave behind her. Ivy wound round the cave and concealed the entrance that was a jagged opening. There was no way she was going in there without being hurled in by a 20ft spider. She shuddered as a cold wind whipped through her hair. The trees were darker here, and more and more of them were covered in the same dusty cobwebs as before. She realised that she was in a small clearing, the now risen sun beating down on the back of her neck. Sitting up had made her head spin, so she lay back down on the warm clay ground.

She barely had time to register her ears pointing and the ringing in her ears, when there was a scuttling sound behind her and she was lifted by her ankle into the air.


	11. Chapter 11

"We have to stop meeting like this," Aelin huffed at the spider.

It didn't reply, simply dropped her angrily to the ground.

"Hey!" She said, as she landed on her behind, "I thought that you spiders liked your manners! You could have just asked me nicely instead of knocking me out."

Again it didn't reply, instead circling her and observing every wrinkle in her skin and every hidden pocket in her tunic, one of which held her dagger.

Aelin felt uncomfortable in this predicament, so stood, brudhing the dirt off her jacket.

"Well… are we just going to stand here or…" She trailed off but the spider ignored her.

Instead it scuttled into the cave and disappeared into the swirling darkness.

It appeared a few minutes later with metres and metres of fabric.

But it wasn't just fabric. It was spidersilk and Aelin's breath was forced out of her by the sheer beauty of it. It moved like water, folds of it cascading down in shimmery waves. She knew that that much silk could have bought pretty much anything she would ever want or need, and have extra to give to the poor people of Terrasen. It caught in the sunlight and it flashed into her eyes, briefly blinding her.

The spider saw her face, and in wicked gleam appeared in its evil eyes. It let out a dark chuckle and said,

"A man dropped dead once, when he saw some of my silk. I'm surprised that a thing as weak as you has not met the same fate."

Aelin did not reply. _Weak_ , she thought, _it won't be thinking that for very long_.

She grinned, a feral spark dancing in her eyes.

"Perhaps instead of insulting me, you could name your price for that stuff," she said nodding to the silk. once it was preoccupied, she would attack.

"You don't seem worried of what I might ask, girl." It said, narrowing its eyes slightly.

She laughed hollowly.

"I have suffered plenty. I see no reason to be scared of a little more."

The spider lay the silk across the warm clay ground.

"For silk of this quality and quantity, maybe memories or dreams, As I don't know if you are immortal or not, years off your life seem a bit pointless. Perhaps the first 12 years of your memories? I think that seems fair." The spider said thoughtfully, with a touch of menace.

Aelin was about to burn the spider into ashes and take the silk anyway when there was a scream.

A cold, blood curdling, bone aching scream.


	12. Chapter 12

Aelin yelled, falling to her knees and putting her hands over her sensitive fae ears. She shifted back into her human form, and found the unearthly sound much more bearable, but still painful. The spider had gone still, its immense body rigid, and its head pointed to the blue sky.

"Not another one," the spider muttered along with something else Aelin couldn't make out.

It glanced down to where she knelt on the ground. It loomed over her, its colossal body blocking out the watery sun. She was about to shift and through a fireball, when it raised one of its giant legs as if to slap her. She raised her hand over her face to block the blow, but instead it wrapped the end of its leg around her ankle. She had just enough time to grab her pack before it swung her up off the ground.

Aelin sighed, partly from relief but also because she was tired of travelling via spiders holding her upsidedown.

She tried to close her eyes on the journey, but it made her feel even more ill than she already was. She had debated wheter she should set the beast on fire and be done with it, but she was curious to see where they were going. So instead she swung lazily to and fro, marvelling at how fast they were travelling. Eight legs, she decided, was definately more effective from two.

They begain a climb on a small incline, the ground becoming rocky and desolate and the trees clearing. The sun was now high in the sky and her stomach growled with hunger. She would probably sell Aedion for a few chocolates right now.

Aelin was just about to doze off when they stopped suddenly. She swung violently upward, the pack on her back swinging her back down again. The spider placed her remarkably gently on the ground, obviosly assuming that she would be rather cross if it dropped her again. She stood, trying to get a good look at where they were.

They were on a rocky outcrop at the edge of a mountain, rocks littering the ground and the air rather thin. There were no trees in sight, just endless grey landscape. A small collection of clouds were strewn across the sky, threatening to rain. But then she noticed the main detail.

Another group of spiders. But these were the same size as the other. They were gathered in a circle, the same way that they had before around her, and she realised there must be another person in the centre.

A few turned to watch them and they parted a small space to let her spider into the circle.

That was when she saw the other person.

Dangled upside down, arms crossed threateningly, and silver hair glinting in the sunlight, was Rowan.

 **Thankyou so much for all the lovely reviews I've been getting! They really make my day. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

Only years of training preparing her for almost anything as an assassin stoped Aelin from choking. She tried to school her features into neutrality but her eyes had flown wide. He was here. He was _here._

Luckily the spider had not been watching her at the time, so did not see her stifen or her hands tremble from shock. She had a feeling that these spiders were not too pleased with Rowan, so she thought it was probably best to keep their relation unknown to them.

Rowan quirked an eyebrow at her. She nearly threw up from relief at seeing him, but kept her outward form cool. She was going to punch him in the face if they ever got out of this got out alive.

 _Surprised, Aelin?_

A daring question, with her control about to snap.

 _Oh, if we get out of this you are going to wish you were never born all that time ago._

Her eyes flashed at him. He gave her an evil grin and Aelin knew she was going to have to watch her own back.

The spiders jolted them out of their internal conversation. One of them spoke in a sweet melodic voice dripping with venom.

"We found this one lurking around in one of the usual meeting places. As you can see we had to bind his hands with silk after knocking him out. He took out three of the smaller ones."

"How, exactly?" Asked the spider that had brought her.

"We don't know. We got to the we followed a scream and came to find _this_ thing standing there with their body scattered around him. We wondered if you would know what it is. You are the oldest after all, Gagamba."

Aelin realised that Gagamba must be its name. _Strange_ she thought. _Strange how a thing like this ancient spider is known to its people by something as simple as a name._

The spider snapped her out of her thoughts a second time. It entered the circle and observed Rowan closely. Its ancient eyes seemed to see straight through him andAelin suddenly felt extremely on edge, even though she knew how capable he was at handaling himself. Gods, he had killed _three_ of these spiders. she knew that she would struggle with one.

Gagamba circle Rowan slowly. Its pincers clicked menacingly whenever he moved sligtly, and the hairs on Aelin's arms stood up. She shifted again, as quietly as possible so to not distract the spiders from their concentration on Rowan.

The spider took a deep inhale of air. Aelin watched in horror as its head to look drectly at her.

"It smells of you."

Aelin shook her head slightly. Gods, these things terrified her more than she would ever admit to Rowan.

"It smells of you, but not quite. You are slightly different and yet the same."

It must be smelling Rowans immortal blood, not matching up to hers.

"I've never seen him before in my life!" Aelin said with as much conviction as possible. But se had never been a great liar, and Gagamba saw straight through her.

"You lie!" It roared. "What are you here for girl? you come to me asking for spider silk and let you conie run off and slaughter some of my people!"

It turned its back on Rowan and edged towards her slowly. The others around it were doing the same, apart from the one holding Rowan by the ankle.

As they loomed closer and closer, Aelin could see the rage in thir eyes.

This was very, very bad.


	14. Chapter 14

**Btw Gagamba is Filipino for spider in case you were wondering where I got that name. Violent chapter coming up for you lovely people.** **J**

The anger in the air was almost suffocating. Aelin stumbled backwards, tripping on a rock behind her and sprawling to the floor. Her palms stung, but she didn't dare take her eyes off the creatures working their way towards her.

"Rowan," she muttered under her breath, knowing with his Fae senses he would hear her, "I could do with some help here!"

She could tell they were about to attack. Who knew what they would do to her? They could tear her limb from limb if they wanted, and with the speed they possessed she couldn't do much to stop them. She flipped herself up onto her feet. The fire was smouldering beneath her skin, aching to be unleashed. If they caught her, she would be dead. So she wouldn't let them catch her.

A smile grew on her face, and a wicked spark danced in her eyes. This was what she was made to do.

Then, without warning, she launched herself at them.

She gave into the fire, became the fire, the sparks blazing. They clouded her mind until she became death in a burning inferno. A fireball flew from each of her hands, hitting two at the end of the line right in the face and sent them squealing backwards and tumbling into the ground. Aelin knew that they wouldn't be down for long.

The one nearest, a huge female with a red belly, lunged at her, pincers raised to stab through her body. She rolled as its jaws came crashing down, narrowly missing certain death. She twisted and raised her arms in a sweeping motion and sent a stream of fire into its eyes, blinding it and making it howl in pain. She ducked, just as a huge blob of poison shot from another's abdomen. It missed her, but flecks of it landed on her cheek as it whisked past. It throbbed with white hot pain. She threw a shield of fire around her, encasing and protecting herself in it. She pressed her palm to her cheek, hissing. She didn't want any more of that coming at her. She took a deep breath, letting the fire relax a little, taking a moment to recover. She knew she couldn't stop like this again or she would burn out. The fire fizzled above her, and a spider screeched as it burnt the tip of its leg.

The haven of fire disappeared suddenly, it fizzling and fading around her. She looked desperately around for the spiders but they were nowhere to be seen. Rowan stood a little way away panting and looking just as confused and worried as she was.

 _Where did they go?_

 _I don't know. They were her, but then one signalled and they all disappeared._

 _Keep on your guard. We have no idea where they could be._

Rowan quirked an eyebrow at her.

 _I'll try your majesty._

She glared at him but didn't reply. He did have more experience with this sort of thing, but that didn't give him the right to be an ass.

She turned in a circle, her hand out, and lit a fire in a circle around her feet.

She had a feeling that this fight wasn't over yet.

 **Thank you again for all the reviews i've had. They really inspire me to keep writing :)**

 **Sorry I** **didn't** **post** **yesterday** **, I was in London.**


	15. Chapter 15

The attack came out of nowhere.

It caught even Rowan with his centuries of training off guard, a huge blob of poison rushing towards him from behind. He ducked at the very last second, a few hairs off his head singed but the rest of him unharmed. He snarled at the invisible attack turning around slowly to protect him from every angle. Aelin did the same, a shield of fire on her arm as Rowan had taught her.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?" he yelled to her, eyes darting left and right, just as another jet of poison flew his way. He twisted, hurling a dagger of ice at the empty space, where made contact with and invisible blockade. The "blockade" squealed and came into view Writhing on the floor with its eight eyes screwed up in agony.

"I think I've found them," Aelin called back through gritted teeth, dodging and weaving as what seemed like hundreds of streams of the violent green stuff flew at her head. She sent a wave of her own fire back, sending a few tumbling away.

"How are they doing it?!" Rowan roared in frustration sending one flying into the trees with a small tornado.

Aelin looked around. The others were unable to just disappear, so wat was different about these ones?

She punched upwards with a flaming fist, aiming where she thought its head would be. The inferno flew from her hands in an arc of red and orange. It hit where she had aimed but ricocheted off at double the speed, narrowly missing Rowan's head.

"Watch where you're firing that stuff!" he yelled as he twisted away.

Aelin noticed a shimmer in the air where it had bounced off. Her eyes flew wide, and she knew instinctively what it was.

Rowan growled in exasperation as one of his own ice daggers glance off invisible air.

"It's the spider silk!" Aelin called raising her fire shield above her head to protect herself from a rain of poison. "It must be some sort of invisibility silk!"

She could see the realisation shining in the Fae prince's eyes. There was no way that they were going to beat them just using their magic. They were too quick and with them invisible and shielded it would be even harder.

A spider appeared to her left, removing its silk and scuttling towards her at staggering speed. She ducked as a thick hairy leg flew over her head, but wasn't quick enough to jump another sweeping through and taking her out at the knees. She landed on her back, the wind in her lungs whooshing out of her. She gulped and Rowan sent a cool breeze her way, her throat sucking it in gratefully. But her troubles were far from over.

Before she could react, the spider had pinned her hands to the ground, its pincers raised above her head.

 **Sorry this chapter is a bit short, I didn't have much time** **:)**


	16. Chapter 16

Aelin cursed with every foul word she knew. She tried to throw a burning dagger at the spider, but it had angled her hands so it flew wide. She could see out of the corner of her eye rowan battling hard with two invisible arachnids.

She gave a tug on the blood oath that they shared. _Don't you dare help me. Don't you dare._

She knew as soon as he was preoccupied with saving her the spiders would deliver a fatal blow.

He stiffened slightly but didn't attempt to move. She knew she would have to find a way out of this on her own.

She struggled to free herself but she couldn't move an inch, its strong legs fixing her to the ground. The spider brought its pincers down towards her head at phenomenal speed and she ducked as much as she could with her arms pinned. It missed, instead burying its fangs into the warms clay earth. The impact made it loosen its grip but that was all Aelin needed to wriggle free. Its sleek abdomen curved under itself, poison dripping from the spike on the end. She crouched underneath its body, in its blind spot. The spider turned and scuttled sideways, but she ran with it, hiding beneath its huge body. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep it up for long, and there was no point in using her magic as it obviously didn't have an effect on their thick skin, and it would only deplete the well inside her. She needed a plan quickly.

Something on the ground caught her eye. Something shimmering in and out of her vision, with cool cascades of fabric.

The spidersilk.

She raced towards it, a plan forming in her mind. Poison was raining down on her from every direction, the remaining spiders realising what she was about to do. She raised her fire shield above her head to protect herself from the worst of it, but she was running away from the attacks, so couldn't see where they were coming from. She was a few metres away from her goal when a ball of venom the size of apple hit her in the leg.

She collapsed in agony, tears streaming from her scrunched up eyes. Her leg was screaming, her flesh being burned away. She ripped a bit of fabric off her tunic and wiped the green acid, desperately trying to get it off. It soaked through the material and into her hands and she gritted her teeth. Gods, she thought the pain would kill her.

The spiders were upon her, grabbing her round the waist and hauling her into the air. The sky was darkening, and the mist was descending down the mountain, making vision almost impossible. Aelin didn't even try to struggle, the pain distracting her. She tried to heal herself, but the acid wouldn't go away, its hot burning sensation pricking her hand and leg. She let her body relax in the spiders grip. She doubted she would be able to walk, let alone run away if she managed to escape its grip.

She could hear Rowan yelling for her but could not find the strength within her to call back. The pain was clouding her mind and the last thing she did before she passed out was light a fiery cocoon around her body.


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry I didn't post yesterday! Extra long chapter today instead :)**

Rowan was in a state of panic. He couldn't see anything but looming shapes in the darkness. The spiders had abandoned their fight with him, running straight for Aelin. That was when the fog descended, clouding his vision and keeping him from his _carranam_. He was sworn to protect her but he couldn't with the blood oath holding him back. He yelled and yelled for her, but she didn't reply, either because she was unconscious or because she was hiding somehow. He hoped it was the latter. He would rip apart any spider that dared touch her with his bare hands.

He shielded his eyes as a bright burning orange fire flashed through the mist around him. He could trace her scent to around him, and it soothed him slightly, but he could feel a pounding in his head. He wanted, _needed_ to protect her but her pride was stopping him, the blood oath binding him ruling over his Fae instincts to protect her. The pounding in his head was no doubt the oath telling him to _stop_ but he strained against it anyway, inching forward, a dagger of ice appearing in his hand.

Then the fog cleared and Rowan's control near damn snapped.

Because hanging by the ankle was Aelin, unconscious and surrounded by angry spiders

The ice dagger had flown from his hand before he had time to contemplate the scene. It hit one of the spiders right in the eyes and it screamed in pain. Rowan dropped to the ground as acid rained down, and realised what Aelin had been planning.

He sped towards the silk and hauled it over his head. And his body disappeared.

He didn't have to be surprised or awed. He had become cold and hard, prepared to do anything to save his Fireheart.

And that was when she woke up.

Aelin was frantic. Rowan had disappeared. The fog had cleared while she had been knocked out, leaving an empty space where Rowan should have been. She reached around herself for the blood oath, but came up with nothing. It had snapped somehow.

That was what made her really scared.

They couldn't have killed him. They _couldn't_ have. He was an ancient Fae warrior, with speed and power, his magic in a bottomless well. But how was the Oath gone?

She inhaled a deep breath, trying to pick up his pine and snow scent on the breeze. Nothing.

A pit began to form within her. He was gone. They had killed him. The last true tie she had to the world. Her _carranam_ , was gone. Murdered by the monsters that he had from to save her from.

In that pit was a well. And it was no longer empty.

No, replacing the sorrow was anger.

An infinite, burning rage.

She smiled, but it was not a smile of beauty or joy.

It was a smile of cold revenge.

And then she unleashed herself upon them. The creatures couldn't compete with the sorrowful rage that was fuelling her fire. All four of them were burning, every hair on their huge legs lit by a swirling blue inferno. She battled harder than she had ever before, her brain numb from the loss of Rowan. Tears were streaming down her face, and she howled in pain, never stopping to clutch the ache in her stomach. She had lost so much, and she clung on to the sliver of a hope that he was hidden, or had flown away in his other form. She prayed to Mala that he was. She couldn't rule Terrasen by herself. She couldn't lose anyone else.

Rowan watched in awe as Aelin battled. He couldn't have run to her if he wanted to, the fire flying in all directions from her small body.

She was crying with pain, and Rowan couldn't understand why. There was no injury on her, because the spiders couldn't get within ten metres of her without being burnt to ashes. There were three of them left, all skulking around the cliff edge, abdomens pointing at her, all dripping with green poison.

Aelin smiled coldly, a fireball forming in her hands. It grew and grew and the spiders froze, waiting for their fate. Rowan fuelled her fire with a cool breeze, and it raged in blue and orange flame.

And then she hurled it at them.


	18. Chapter 18

Their pain was infinite.

Aelin laughed hollowly as they screamed, barrelling backwards towards the cliff edge. Their legs twitched in agony, their bodies writhing and convulsing as the flames grew, pushing them further and further.

The flames stopped, along with their screaming. They looked to Aelin, their expressions full of fear. But Aelin's eyes were dead.

"For Rowan," she whispered, the flames dancing behind her eyes.

And their torture started again.

Rowan watched from the safety of the trees. Something was nagging the back of his mind but he could not put a finger on what it was. He felt no horror or shame at what Aelin was doing to the creatures. He had done worse in his time to some less deserving than them.

What puzzled him was the ferocity with which Aelin fought. He had only seen her like this when he had sent Luca out onto the ice, and Aelin had given him a black eye. Even then she hadn't used her magic.

He was glad that he wasn't in the spiders shoes.

He watched, entranced. Perhaps he would've noticed the strange scent in the air if he wasn't so fixated on Aelin.

A final fireball was forming in Aelin's hands, this one more powerful than all of the rest. Ribbons of pink, Purple and red flames plumed around its blue centre. It would have been beautiful if I weren't a weapon designed to kill. She wished Sam could've seen it. He would've appreciated its beauty.

Sam and now Rowan. Both her fault. Both too good for her, but both understanding her in a way that no one else had. The scares she bared were plentiful, but there were even more, even deeper ones on her soul.

The fire ball flew from her hands as tears poured down her face. The chasm that she was falling into had gotten deeper with her carranam gone where so many of her loved ones had gone before him. She wished in that moment she could follow him into the darkness.

The spiders were shrieking their last prayers as they tumbled off the rocky outcrop and down, down into the swirling darkness below them. They wouldn't be climbing up again.

Aelin dropped to her knees, sobbing. She raised her head to the darkening sky and screamed at the gods, her voice ugly like a dying creature. There would be no returning from this abyss that she falling into.

Rowan only had time to see Aelin drop to her knees howling, when the scent finally reached him. But by then it was too late. He should have noticed earlier, but in his relief and awe in Aelin's fighting skills had distracted him. He only noticed when it was right behind him.

And then he was knocked out.

Hey guys! hope you're still enjoying my story! please leave a comment, any feedback I get is greatly appreciated. There shouldn't be too more chapters before this story is finished, so if you have any ideas for my next story, I will gladly take suggestions!


	19. Chapter 19

A darkness was forming in Aelin's mind. A darkness so absolute, so complete, she forgot who she was and what she was doing. The fog in her head had cleared, leaving nothing behind but cobwebs. The pain racking her body was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Sobs ached through her throat, but no tears came. A word was echoing around her empty head. Not just a word, a name.

 _Rowan._

There was not even a trace of hope left in her strong, scarred body. He would have come to her by now. He would have pulled her close to his strong Fae torso and told her it was okay, he was fine and his little Fireheart had nothing to worry about.

But he had not come.

A cold wind had begun to whistle through the trees, but she didn't move from where she lay, even with it chilling her to the bone. She barely noticed it.

She would not fool herself the way she had with Sam, telling herself that he was okay, just waiting somewhere for her. That would only cause more pain.

It was stupid, but she thought she heard him calling to her. Perhaps he was, all the way from the afterlife, telling her not to worry, that he was safe now.

She tried to shut out the noise. It was stabbing through her heart, and the guilt that it caused was worse than she had ever had. Even Marion's and Nehemia's death could not compare to this.

But the calling wouldn't stop. It was getting louder and louder, the sound vibrating through her body. She raised her head from the earthy ground, gravel stuck to her cheek. Her turquoise eyes were blurry so she could not make out what the dark shape moving towards her.

 _Perhaps it's death, coming to get me._ She thought. It did not scare her the way she thought it would. She welcomed it. The others would suffer, but they'd get through it. But she wouldn't get through Rowan's death. She would never live as before.

But then she saw what it was coming towards her, the Fae body she knew so well walking with such feline grace that she could have sworn he was floating.

She turned her head and threw up all that was in her stomach. Her fingers and toes had gone numb, and all she knew was he was _alive_ , alive and whole and perfect. His pine and snow scent encased her, along with something vaguely familiar, but couldn't put her finger on. The relief that was coursing through her veins was exhilarating, even with acid burning her throat. Tears pricked her eyes, burning through her vision. She wiped them away angrily, wanting to see him and only him, his silver hair shimmering, even with the sun now gone. The wind that had been howling was now dead, and the once creaking trees were silent, as if knowing how the atmosphere should be in this moment.

He prowled towards her, light dancing in his eyes. Did he _know_ the pain he put her through? Gods, if he laughed at her, she would rip his face off. But the reassurance that he was still walking on the earth, that the spiders that she had thrown off a cliff had not eaten him or ripped out his heart was out ruling her outrage.

Rowan woke up with a pounding headache, but that was not his main priority. His main priority was making sure that Aelin, his Fireheart, was safe. He needed her, without her he was nothing, just another Fae with a dead mate. She made him better, stronger, and though her would never tell her, friendlier and more inclined to smile at people. But there was no way he could. He was bound from neck down in spidersilk, trussed up like a rabbit ready for roasting and tied to an oak tree. The fabric seemed to restrict on his magic, much like iron did. He struggled hard, but could not get free.

He had broken the blood oath, he knew, but had no idea how. He could not understand it, but did not know of these things, as a prince should be learning the art of war, not of oaths. People were supposed to make oaths to _him._

He looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of Aelin's blonde hair, or hear the tinkle of her laugh.

But what he saw froze his blood.

He saw himself.

Prowling towards Aelin, like a predator towards its prey.

But that was not what scared him most.

It was that Aelin was smiling that petrified him.


	20. Chapter 20

He didn't have time to wonder how or why that thing was closing in on her. But he knew that he had to get free, had to warn her that it wasn't him and that she needed to kill it _now_. He was completely naked, and realised that the doppelganger had taken his clothes. Panicking, he realised that it was now encased in his scent, and Aelin wouldn't tell that it wasn't him.He bit down hard onto the silk gag in his mouth, trying to tear the strong fabric with his Fae canines. He had to escape. But however hard he tried, the material would not tear, and he retched as it secreted a foul tasting liquid into his mouth.

He could feel the fluid clouding his brain, stopping his struggle. He swallowed several tie, but it made it worse, his whole body going numb and still. He fought hard against it, but could feel it pulling his body under an invisible blanket. He could no longer feel his arms or legs, and he wondered if they were still even attached to him. He tried to think of a way to escape, but as soon as an idea formed in his mind, it was swept away like cobwebs by a huge hand.

But he knew that he was stuck. Their situation had only gotten worse, with Aelin in the hands of a shapeshifter and he could do nothing to help her. He could only watch as the other version of himself advanced towards her.

Aelin ran to Rowan.

She barrelled into him, breathing the familiar smell on his jacket with tears pouring down her face. He stroked her hair fondly, and made hushing noises in her ear. She just hugged his huge torso closer, her tears soaking into his tunic. She wiped them away, and looked up into his face, her finger tracing along his dark tattoo and her turquoise eyes looking deep into his pine green ones.

 _How dare you leave me like that? Where the hell were you!?_

Rowan didn't reply, merely stared at her.

 _Rowan?_

She pushed him away, looking worriedly at his blank was wrong.

Aelin began to panic. What had they done to him?

"Rowan?" she asked cautiously, "what did they do to you?"

Rowan stared into her with dead eyes, a small empty smile forming on his lips. His lips pulled back to reveal his canines and he laughed quietly, a sound that chilled Aelin's blood.

"They didn't do anything to _me_ " he said in a dreadful low voice.

Aelin stumbled back, retreating, trying to get as far away as possible from him. He was different, _wrong_ and she didn't like it one bit.

"What did you do to them, eh? A while ago, another lot were pushed off that same cliff, by an ironteeth witch. So what are you, girl? What have I become? What other species has come to slaughter them?"

Aelin shuffled backward, trying to put as much space between her and Rowan as possible. He laughed again, this time more hysterically.

"Let me tell you a story," he said meanacingly. "A while ago, a man came to visit me. Came to barter, like all the other mortals. But this one was different. He smelt of the wind and an ever changing tide. I had met another like him centuries before, but they had not traded with me. But this one I did, for twenty years off his life."

Aelin had a horrible sense of foreboding wash over her. She lit a fire in her hand, but Rowan blew it out with ease.

"He was a shifter. He was lucky to be in a man's form, as magic had vanished a year before he came. He didn't realise what he was trading away, what he should've got for what he gave me.

Because he gave me some of his power. A power that he didn't realise he could pass on, with magic gone. For years, I waited with this power within me, unable to use it. Until two months ago. And then it was freed, and I can become whatever I please.

In this case, like you."

He stalked towards her, observing her in a very un-Rowanish way.

"And I can do whatever I please to avenge my family"

That was when Aelin realised that she and Rowan had only killed eight spiders.

And there had been nine.


	21. Chapter 21

Aelin gaped at the Rowan doppelganger, her eyes as wide as saucers. He was the spider, Gagamba, and a shifter. And the man he had talked of, the merchant from Xandria. _How ironic_ , she thought, _we were both hiding who we were, and yet neither had realised what the other was._ She tripped and fell onto the gravelly earth, her hands screaming as they scraped against sharp rocks littering the floor. The wind picked up and it whistled through the trees around her, whipping through her blond hair and streaming it in front of her face, cutting bars in her vision. She tucked it behind her ear hastily, pushing herself up off the ground into a low fighting stance. A blue fire dagger appeared in her hand and snarled at him her teeth flashing in the moonlight.

"Where the _hell_ is Rowan?" she growled at him, "I swear, if you've hurt one hair on his head, I'll rip your throat out."

But Gagamba smiled darkly, in the same way that the Valg Prince she had fought only four months before, and it turned Rowans face into a twisted assortment of features that made her flinch away, but grip her dagger tighter. The warm flames licked her hand, and a cold certainty filled her body.

She was not going to die here.

Not when she hadn't fulfilled her vow to Nehemia. Not when she hadn't found the Wyrdkeys or defeated Erawan. Not when Terresan had been brought so close to freedom, to hope of a new future.

She would fight to her last dying breath for her people.

So she launched herself at him.

So here Rowan was, naked and strapped to a tree, his body paralysed and his mouth gagged. Almost completely invisible as well, he realised, due to the special spider silk wrapped around his body. All he could do was watch as Aelin stumbled back and trip over a small rock on the ground. He was going crazy, trying desperately to get his body to cooperate, to move one inch. But he couldn't. Whatever was in the silk was pinning him still, forcing him to watch as the shapeshifter advanced towards her, with dead eyes and a cruel smile. His Fae instincts were telling him _protect, protect, protect_ but the only this moving was his eyes which were darting everywhere, looking for a way out, a way to help. But there was nothing.

He had no idea where the shifter had come from. It had just appeared, with an obvious grudge and hatred of Aelin. He could have been anyone from her life as an assassin, with her never noticing.

He just hoped that he wasn't a very strong fighter.

In his struggle to get free, his mind began to wonder.

 _Could it use his powers? Would Aelin be able to beat him if it did? Where had it even come from? Had it watched the fight they had just had? Or had it tracked them from Terresan?_

He was about to find out.


	22. Chapter 22

Aelin fought in a frenzy of orange and blue inferno. Dagger after dagger, flame after flame the killing calm encasing her body, and her mind on only the task in hand.

To destroy.

The shifter was on the defensive, having obvious problems controlling Rowan's muscled immortal body. He had become taller, the tattoo she knew so well stretched across a face filled with fury. He handled Rowan's better than she had hoped, and her flames sputtered and died before they got very close to him.

She was growing frustrated, her blazing fireballs being put out with ease with Rowan's magic. It had learned, from watching Rowan fight the others, exactly how to suck the oxygen fuelling the flames from the air. She healed the scrapes that were screaming on her palm. She didn't want anything slowing her down. She sent a stream of flame from each hand at him. One, he deflected but the other singed across the side of his face, searing through his black tattoo. Howling in pain, he sent an ice dagger flying at her, but it was aimed badly and Aelin dodged it with ease.

The shifter stumbled backwards, a snarl in Rowan's features. But Aelin didn't hesitate as she walked stealthily towards him, throwing well aimed daggers and arrows, him helplessly deflecting them the best he could.

And then he shifted.

Aelin stopped still as Rowan grimaced and his whole body writhed and convulsed. She could have put in some easy shots, but she was in complete awe as the shifter made rowans body grow, his features distorted.

His hair retracted into his skull and the tattoo on his face melded into waxy skin, leaving the burn she gave him in plain sight. His body grew taller, and his torso widened, the clothes he was wearing ripping and tearing as the body grew too big for them. His usually tanned body turned paler, with a waxy sheen on his skin, and his face became elongated like a wolf, skin stretching and ripping with a blood curdling sound, leaving holes in his cheeks stretched tight over his jaw. The hands that she knew better than her own grew claws as long as any of her daggers, the tips jagged and sharp as a knife. She gagged as the stench of his hit her. He smelled like he had rotted from the inside out.

He opened his mouth and roared, displaying rows and rows of needle teeth. Aelin looked in horror as she noticed Rowans pine green eyes had turned to black, becoming beady and entirely demonic. She had seen Lysandra shift before, but this was something different. This was pure, unyielding evil.

Flames flew from her hands without her even thinking about it. She could feel her magic well inside her depleting, and she knew that she couldn't use it much longer. The blue flame hit the creature's skin and Aelin stared as they disappeared, as if absorbed. She threw dagger after dagger, but they didn't have any effect on the beast. It seemed that no magic could kill it.

So Aelin was stuck. Her magic was all she had. Damaris was somewhere deep in the forest, dropped when those first spiders found her, two days ago. Looking at the creature in front of her now, it felt like an eternity.

But then she remembered. The dagger in her pocket! She had completely forgotten about it, so focused on using her magic. She flipped it out, her grip tight on the handle. She could not afford to lose it.

 **Hey guys! I'm nearing the end of this story, so if anyone has any ideas for my next one, please let me know in the reviews! please keep reading, as you know this is my first fanfiction and i'm really proud of how its turning out! Reviews really make my day, so keep em coming!**


	23. Chapter 23

They became a whirlwind of teeth, claws and metal. Aelin could've sworn the world stopped dead, the shadowy trees in the dark forest to the left of her seemingly holding their breath. It seemed as though the gods had stopped what they were doing to watch the epic battle between the heir of two mighty bloodlines, ruler of Terresan and fire breathing bitch-queen and a hideous lunatic of a shifter, it's hundred needle sharp teeth wanting nothing other than to spill her guts across the now cool earth.

Gagamba had obviously used this body before, swipes from his claw covered paws coming quicker than Rowan's daggers. She twirled and ducked as a spike covered tail swung over her head, one scratching across her hairline, leaving her vision bleary. Blood poured from the wound and she raised her left hand to heal it, leaving the right to wield her dagger. It clotted within seconds, but Aelin still felt dizzy as a fire shield formed around her body, burning the creature's paws as it reached out to grab her. It howled in pain, but the sound made her head spin, and she collapsed to her knees, her sight going in and out of focus and her shield disappearing.

She could sense the creature nearby and swiped blindly with her dagger, hoping against hope that it would make contact. She overbalanced and fell onto her front, dropping her dagger but stopping herself just in time, grazing her recently healed hands all over again. She moaned in pain, her cheek to the ground and tried to push herself up into standing position.

But instead a huge clawed paw pushed her back into the ground.

Aelin crumpled, struggling for breath as the air was crushed out of her lungs. She could see her dagger out of the corner of her eye, the blade glinting in the moon light. It wasn't that far away, but she would have to grab it first time she tried or the shifter would knock it out of her reach.

"So here we are. The helpless little girl stuck under the bad monster's paw," he said in a baby voice. Aelin hissed but the creature got its other paw and placed it down on the back of her head, squashing it into the gravelly earth. She felt as if her skull was going to crack so she shut up to let it speak.

"Oh, I'll enjoy killing you. Perhaps I shall make it quicker if you beg me to." Aelin spat on the ground. If she was going to die she would do it without a shred of her pride out of place. It would be the last thing she could offer her country. She would not scream.

The shifter dragged a cracked, dirty nail tenderly along the back of her neck, drawing blood. It licked its lips with glee.

"A long time ago, the blueblood witches would bring offerings to the spiders. Human flesh was a favourite. But about a century ago they brought us something new and different. I was just hatched, barely 12 days old, but I remember it as if it was yesterday. The meat was fresh, and the elders took the it away to the cave to feast on it by themselves with no hassle from the others." He laughed bitterly. "They weren't ones for sharing. But I knew what the meat was. I heard the others whisper about it excitedly, some going crazy in frantic want for a taste of it, ripping ribbons of each other's bodies to get near to it. They say it gave the elders power they hadn't possessed before."

Aelin shivered. She knew what was coming.

"Fae flesh. The sweetest in the world. The others asked me if I knew what you were. They weren't alive, so had no idea the prize that they possessed. And I have two! After I have devoured you, I shall travel to Terresan, in a disguise nobody will question. For I hear there are more where you come from _Aelin Galathynius._ "

 **Wahay! another chapter for you guys!**


	24. Chapter 24

Aelin struggled hard against the paw pressing into her skull. But her arms were pinned to her back, the huge creature sitting atop her. She could feel the blood trickling down the side of her neck and smell the creature's foul breath breathing on her. She writhed in his grip, but he didn't let go.

"How the _hell_ do you know who I am?!" she growled at him.

Her fear was gone, replaced by a burning inferno of rage. It was one thing to kill her and Rowan, but to threaten to even come _close_ to her people sent sparks ripping violently through her body. They deserved better than her, but she still had to save them.

Quicker than a jackrabbit from the Red Dessert she wrapped her legs around the creature, twisting her body so hard she thought she'd split in half. She yelled with the effort, but her anger pushed out the pain, wiping out any trace of doubt or fear. He must die.

She rolled on top of him, and before he could react reached out her hand to her dagger and flipped it into her other palm. she held it firmly against his throat, drawing deep blue blood onto her glinting dagger.

"Answer the question, or I swear on my country, I'll slit your throat open!" she yelled with some hysteria.

The shifter glared at her and bared its teeth, but she pushed harder.

"Tell me _now_." She growled.

"The other one. He said your name." he said, through gritted teeth.

"Rowan! Where is he? What have you done with him?" she tried to keep the hope from her heart. He had probably eaten him.

The creature grinned with dead eyes. It was a look of pure evil.

"A queen, determined to protect her country. How sweet. I must saw, I expected you to look… I don't know, older?"

"I've been killing things like you over ten years." She spat at him. She restrained herself from pushing the blade further into his waxy skin. She couldn't kill him until she knew where Rowan was.

"Kill me then." The creature said a challenge in his voice.

He shifted, and Aelin pressed her whole body into him to stop him from throwing her of.

She looked down at the new face.

It was her.

"What do you fear most in this world, little girl?" the shifter snarled. "Because I know. Losing your beloved _Rowan_."

Their flames hit each other simultaneously, and she threw the shifter off, shielding her head so it wasn't singed by an oncoming fireball. The shifter had got better at using magic after practicing with Rowan's body, and Aelin ducked and turned sending plumes of gold flame spiralling towards her opponent. It snarled and spun away, but not before the flames caught his arm, burning through the tough leather on her sleeve. She roared in pain, and shielded as another two streams flew at her legs, aimed to bring her to the ground. Aelin twirled and jumped on her, grabbing him by the neck and throwing her to the ground.

"Where is he?!" she said, grabbing the front of her own tunic.

The creature in her arms smiled slowly, shifting again into Rowan's battle worn face.

It slowly raised its left arm. But not towards her.

Towards where he was choking the air from Rowan's lungs.

Sorry i havent posted in sooooo long, but i've been on holliday and reading EoS! guys, you have to read it it was soooo good! **please keep reviewing, i really enjoy reading what feedback i get! xx**


	25. Chapter 25

He couldn't breathe. The air had vanished, and his lungs ached and squeezed, trying in vain to find an ounce of oxygen to power his huge immortal body. Tears pricked his eyes as his head began to spin his brain unable to create any realistic thoughts of escape. The binds around his body seemed tighter than ever, and he struggled as much as he dared, not wanting to use up any more of his precious oxygen than necessary. He reckoned he had about two minutes left, and only one minute of consciousness. He could see Aelin about two hundred metres away, her flames shining bright gold in the darkness. She could not help him, and he didn't want her to. Not if it put her in danger. He felt around inside him, reaching down for his magic, but it seemed to be locked away inside him, leaving him empty and useless.

The creature portraying him snarled, and the echoes reverberated through his Ancient body.

Never in his long life had Rowan been so close to death. He wondered whether it would hurt, or if it would just be slipping into a dark void like everyone said it was. He hadn't even contemplated dying before, knowing that he had at least a thousand years left. It ached inside him, and he dully remembered how Aelin would be alone again in the world.

He wondered whether she would burn it to the ground.

Flame licked around the creature's body like a caul and Aelin whispered so quietly that her words were taken away onto the wind. But she knew that the shifter would hear her with Rowan's Fae hearing. They were a promise, silent and deadly, but complete and unearthly calm.

"Let him go. Let him go or you will be no more than ashes on a forgotten breeze."

The creature growled quietly, but it could hear the threat in her voice, the cruel and unrelenting promise of eternal pain by her hand. He turned to where Rowan was bound to the tree, eyes hard.

Aelin could feel a burnout approaching rapidly. It was taking all her concentration to wrap her fire around the shifter, and the well within her was sputtering, the last embers of magic dimming. She inhaled through her nose, knowing that the oxygen would fuel the remainder of her inferno. It would help, but she knew she couldn't hold onto it for more than a minute more without become ashes.

The flame around Gagamba's body flickered and it turned its dead, cold eyes to her. It observed how sweat trickled down her forehead, how the hand raised to control the flames shook with the effort.

A murderous gleam appeared in his eyes as Aelin's flames guttered slightly, and then went out.

The creature was on her before she had the time to scream.

With the last few moments of his life Rowan watched the person her loved most in the world. He drank in her whole self, the curves of her body, the contours of her face. Hard eyes shone in the moonlight, the gold rimmed pupils wide with anger. Blue flames licked around the shifter's body and Rowan marvelled at how her control and power had grown. He was so, _so_ grateful that he had been able to help her with it. Help her climb out of the abyss she had fallen into.

He knew she would suffer at his death. He wished he could tell her how much she meant to him, how she was the best part of him; wished that he could touch her face one more time and tell her it would be ok.

He strained against the bonds that held him, wanting to reach her one last time.

And the silk fell away.

 **Thankyou to every one who has reviewed my story! And by the way, as I've just finished EoS, if you are planning on reading it, put it at the top of your priority list! It was soooooooo GOOOD :)**


	26. Chapter 26

This was where she would die. With Rowan's snarling face above her, and grit from the cold, hard earth pressing into her face. She knew it was stupid, but she always hoped she would die in Terresan, or at least be buried there. But instead her carcass would be eaten by revenge crazed spider-shapeshifter, leaving her people not even bones to mourn. They had come so, _so_ close to hope, to a better life. She struggled under Rowan's strong grip.

" _Rowan_ ," she wheezed, wanting to see him, the real him one last time. She wanted him to live, to escape and protect Terrasen from the monster sitting on her chest. The fear consuming her ebbed and she thanked the Gods for the time she spent with him. Without it she wouldn't have ever became Aelin. Salty tears formed like dewdrops in the corner of her eyes. She searched deep inside herself, for any flicker or spark, but there was nothing but an endless pit filled with ashes and dust. The blood oath was there, she could feel it, but it was locked away and unreachable.

She wondered how it would kill her. If it did it as rowan, it would be reasonably painless and not messy.

But if it shifted, she had no doubt that her guts would be spilled across the ground. Could she enter the otherworld with her body in that state? She remembered two very different rooms with two very similar gore covered beds. If her parents and Nehemia could get in like that, she was sure that she could.

Aelin hoped they would forgive her. She tried so hard to help, to learn to control the monster lurking under her skin. Perhaps it would urge her people on and she could become a martyr.

The scar on her hand burned at the thought of Nehemia, and she remembered the unfulfilled promise that would now be taken with her to the grave. The people of Eyllwe would never be free of the darkness within their lands.

Her tears flowed faster and they burned on her cheeks, but Aelin embraced the pain. If only to distract her from the harrowing guilt raging within her scarred, lean body. No sound escaped her lips, but she was sobbing inside.

How could she face her friend after all she had sacrificed?

The bonds around Rowan's body had melted to dust, the ash remains taken off on a cold midnight breeze. He shifted in an instant, his tall, immortal body disappearing in a flash of light, leaving the majestic hawk in its wake. Air rushed into his lungs, the shifters magic now solely focused on Aelin. Though he never told anyone, he loved his other form, the way the warm air lifted his wings on summer nights in Doranelle. He used to live for nights like that, and it was the only thing that stopped him killing himself after Lyria's death. The pure animal joy of being free to soar to distant lands. Perhaps it made him selfish, but it was irresistible. He had won many a fight by flying ahead of his Cadre at the start of a battle to inform them of the enemy's forces and secret weapons.

He stretched his mighty wings, the feathers on him ruffling in the cold air, taking a deep breath to fill his lungs with blissful oxygen. He did a tentative flap, to make sure he knew what he was doing. About a century ago he shifted and he had completely forgotten how to fly. The magic sometimes messed with your brain if you weren't concentrating properly.

Anger pulsed through him and he watched as the shifter landed atop Aelin's small body as her magic flicked and died.

There was a roaring in his ears as he flung himself into the air.


	27. Chapter 27

The shifter wrapped Rowan's huge and usually gentle hands around her neck. She could feel the palm pressing into her jugular and she gagged. So hard he squeezed the air whooshing from her shifted back into her human form, wanting to die as what her mother and father had wanted her to be.

A queen.

 _Ironic_ , she thought, _that the famous Aelin Galathynius, heir of mala and Brannon will die because she killed some psychopath spider's friends and now he wants to eat her._

The cruellest smile she had ever seen played on Rowan's face, the pine green eyes full of hatred and triumph. Spots burst into her vision and she looked up towards the moon. It seemed to shine brighter than ever against the velvet black sky.

She counted the stars. She could remember every constellation that Arobynn Hamel had taught her and staring at them, every happy memory of her life before Endovier flashed into her mind.

Living with Aedion in her palace. Being pampered by all the servants in her room. Lighting the fire with her magic on a cold, snowy night. Befriending Ben on her first day at the Keep. Lounging in the sun after her first assignment. Buying new weapons and learning how to use them. Laughing at the extravagant parties she went to. Drinking fizzy wine until her head spun. Shopping for new clothes in the heart of Rifthold. Climbing to the highest tree in the garden. And listening to the exquisite music played in the opera house.

The music played again inside her heard, soothing the wound on the back of her neck. A deep calm settled over her and she closed her eyes, blocking out the Lord of the North that shone so brightly above her and that had guided her every day since she fell into that freezing river.

And she let go.

Rowan was in a place he had never been before. A dark calm had settled over him, so complete and purposeful and cold that he lost all sense of where he was. Never, even on the battlefields of far off lands had he been so deeply and utterly in control of the mighty Fae body he possessed.

There was anger in his body. Coursing through his ancient mind, a rage so intense that he thought he was going to shrivel up into ash.

 _This is the rage that Aelin has_ , he thought. It was completely unforgiving.

He was flying faster than he ever had before, the wind soothing through his feather, using the air as a weapon, a vehicle to get him to his goal. He was nearer and nearer, so close he could smell her, even with his other body. Pulsing energy willed him on, the winds begging him to get there in time, before he could do it, before he killed her. Faster and faster he flew, beating his mighty wings so quick he thought that they would-

He shifted.

There was a flash, and even in her groggy state, it burnt into Aelin's eyes. She opened them a crack, the shifter looking round, and loosening his hands slightly in surprise. Cool air rushed down Aelin's throat and she inhaled it gratefully, glad for one last breath before she died.

A roar sounded, so loud, it hurt Aelin's ears. The shifter above her howled in pain, and she remembered that he had Rowan's Fae hearing, while she was currently human. One of his eardrums burst, sending pale yellow water, dotted with dark red blood from his ear. He forgot about her momentarily and took his hands off her neck, grasping his pointed ears in pain.

Aelin knew what it was that had come to save her.

She looked up, head spinning and a small smile playing on her lips.

Her _carranam._

 ** _I'm nearly done with this story, hope you all enjoyed it! :) xx_**


	28. Chapter 28

Rowan barrelled into the shifter with such a force that Aelin was sure that her arms had been ripped off. There he was, standing completely naked, the harsh wind cutting into his ancient body. He didn't seem to notice.

Something more than anger raged within he _carranam_ 's eyes as he roared, their usual pine green turning a blinding cold white. His ears and canines seemed to lengthen, and Aelin could tell that a calm deeper than her magic well had settled over him. It knocked the breath out of her.

Gagamba was writhing in Rowan's grip trying desperately to get away from the bellowing roar bouncing around his skull, and his other eardrum burst. Tears appeared in his eyes, and Aelin watched in awe as Rowan, _her_ Rowan, picked up his doppelganger by the front of his own shirt and threw him bodily to the ground. He sprawled there, stumbling blindly away.

Rowan fell silent, and the only sound that could be heard was the whistle of the wind through the dense forest surrounding them, and the whimper of pain and terror Gagamba made as he took in Rowan in all his glory. He knew this was not going to end well.

Rowan spared a glance at her, his eyes aflame and raking over her body, looking for any injuries and wounds on her. They rested on her collarbone and the blood dripping down it from the deep cut on the back of the neck and snarled.

The sound echoes around the clearing and the shifter maned softly, making Aelin's head spin. She knew she couldn't hold onto consciousness much longer, but that was ok.

Now that Rowan was here, she knew she was safe. She slipped gratefully into the cool, swirling darkness.

Stalking his prey was easy. He had given in to the animal straining on its leash, begging him to free himself upon the creature that lay before him. He could see the fear in its eyes but felt no remorse or pity. Not after he had seen what it had done to Aelin.

Gods, the thought of it made his blood boil. He hadn't been there to protect her, couldn't, and she had to fight by herself. He wanted to rip his own skin off, as if the shame was in his very pores. It had happened before with Lyria. He couldn't ever let it happen to Aelin.

A dagger formed in his hands, the cold ice biting into his skin. But he ignored it, focusing only on the task that he had to fulfil. There was blood on Aelin's shoulder that had to be repaid a thousand times.

As he got nearer, the shifter stopped moving. Rowan saw what he had seen many times before in the pine green eyes shining in the moonlight.

Complete and utter defeat.

So Rowan made his death quick.

Cool music was playing. It caressed Aelin like silk, the sound making her heart leap and her mind calm. It was soothing, a deep voice taking her away like she was floating down a river. She felt lighter than a feather, her body no more than a wisp of smoke, flying over mountaintops, and towns and forests. She was back in the opera house in Rifthold, in Arobynn's private box. She turned her head, expecting to see Sam by her side, but saw instead a Fae warrior with a dark tattoo over the left side of his face. He held out a huge hand to her, and she took it, a smile growing on her face. She had never felt so safe before.

 **Omg i've not written in soooooooooo long! sorry to keep all of you waiting, but 11 hours of homework a week is quite a lot! xx :)**


	29. Chapter 29

A warm glowing feeling awoke within her chest and she smiled, and Rowan smiled back. But then the scene dissolved, leaving a cool, smoky darkness in its wake.

She could feel herself awakening, her toes and fingers gaining feeling again. She felt as if she were rising from freezing water, and taking a deep breath of air. She lay still, and didn't open her eyes.

The music was slowly changing, lyrics dancing into it, twining and turning like a creeper on a wall. She listened closely to it, even though it made her head throb. Aelin vaguely recognised the tune, but never in the way it was being sung. The voice was deep and hypnotic, but not beautiful. The ancient words were ethereal and guttural, but strangely soothing,

 _Beyond, beyond, the mountain line_

 _Beyond the Ruhn and snowy hills,_

 _A land is there of safety and peace_

 _Unseen until all war is stilled._

 _No gaze of Fae, or crochan witch,_

 _No human traveller old,_

 _Has gone beyond the veil of time,_

 _Escaped into tales untold._

 _O come, o come, child of mine,_

 _For what the profit of time will send,_

 _From the frozen wastes to the red dessert sands,_

 _A saviour will come and war will end._

It was a lullaby. The ancient Fae words were meant to be a prophecy, told by travellers centuries ago, around the time of Elena Galathynius. Aelin remembered when her mother sang her to sleep when her magic scared the living daylights out of her. When she couldn't feel tired because of the fire roaring in her veins. The memory made her bones ache with sadness. The voice was getting closer and shivers went down her neck and goose bumps rose on her arms. A cool breeze kissed her skin and she felt instantly soothed.

She opened her eyes a crack, then closed them quickly as the dawn sunlight blinded her. An immortal ache throbbed through her vein, and her head pounded like a war drum. She groaned quietly and rolled away from the light, and heard a breathy sigh of relief in next to her ear.

She opened her eyes again to Rowan's face, his silver hair blinding in the sun. The dark, swirling tattoo down his face imprinted on her eyes as she blinked, smiled slightly. She looked closely at his now clothed but bloodstained body, searching for any signs of harm.

"I didn't know you could sing."

He didn't reply, only looked hard at her.

"Oh, you are in _so_ much trouble." He growled softly, but Aelin knew he wouldn't punish her too harshly until she had recovered properly.

"What happened?"

Rowan explained to her what he had done to the shifter. He looked slightly ashamed of himself but Aelin understood what kind of rage had poured through his bloodstream. She had experienced it more times than she could remember, and had done worse thing than he had done.

"I don't understand though. I told you not to help me, and the blood oath snapped. How…?" she trailed off at the absent look in Rowan's eyes.

"I did it. I couldn't lose you Aelin. Not again. Never again. I couldn't save her, so I had to save you."

She understood. The loss of Lyria would stay with him forever. His instinct had completely overridden whatever the blood oath had told him to do. It was something he had never been able to do with Maeve, but their bond was different.

"When I was bound to that tree, the spidersilk wouldn't shift an inch. I tried everything. I think it was the lack of air that stopped it from working properly."

Aelin considered this. It was certainly useful to know if they ever encountered another Arachnid.

Rowan looked pained as he looked at her.

"You've been out for two days."

Aelin sat bolt upright, making her head spin and felt as if she would throw up. She lay down again quickly, Rowan lowering her head to the ground gently.

"What?! I have to get back. I told Lysandra that If I wasn't back within 9 days to send a search party."

Rowan chuckled.

"I've sorted that out for you, Your Highness. And I picked this up along the way", he said, indicating to Damaris, which now lay beside her.

She bared her teeth at him.

"Call me Highness again and I'll tell Aedion that you sing."

He chuckled again, his face softening. He lay down next to her, and she put her head on his strong chest.

"I love you, Aelin"

"I love you too", she murmured.

 **That's the final chapter Guys! I really hope you all enjoyed my story, please leave a comment, theyre always appreciated! ToG is a small Fandom, but its filled with Awesome people like all of you. Keep Reading! :) xxx**


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